Dangerous Terrain
by The Dream Guardian
Summary: A visit to a new planet turns into a battle for survival after John and Teyla become trapped in a cave and it soon become very apparent they will not be able too wait for rescues. Will they be able to get off the planet alive? Chapter Six is up!
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes: A special thanks to KateCater for beta reading my story and giving me tons of helpful tips. Thanks, you're the best!I don't have much else to say, but I hope you enjoy this story and would love to hear what peoples first impressions are.**

Dangerous Terrain

By The Dream Guardian

Scanning the horizon, all John saw was more rugged wasteland, bare of almost anything. All there seemed to be was sand and rugged rock outcroppings and that awful foul smell. The planet was covered with mud pots, geysers, and sulfur springs. The geologists on Atlantis had run extensive tests to make sure the planet was stable before concluding it was safe for the team.

Teyla stood behind Sheppard. The two had left their teammates at some ruins they had found so McKay could continue the tests he was running.

"It appears we may be in for some rain," Teyla commented. Her caramel eyes were looking into the unfamiliar yellow sky, partially filled with angry-looking green-tinted clouds

"That's just great," Sheppard muttered as a low rumble was heard to the east and the wind began to pick up.

"John, get under cover now." McKay's voice burst through the radio, laced with recognizable fear.

"What is it?" John asked. Beside him, Teyla frowned, worried.

"The rain, it's acidic," McKay said.

"How acidic?"

"You don't want to be caught in the open," Ronon's voice came through, sounding gruffer than usual. A crash of thunder caused both John and Teyla's eyes to dart skyward before they took off in the direction of the jumper.

"We're heading for the jumper," Sheppard snapped into the radio. They'd parked the jumper about a half-mile west of his and Teyla's present location.

"John!" Teyla's cry stopped him, and he turned towards his teammate. "What?" he asked, impatient to get back to the jumper.

"There's a cave over there," Teyla said, pointing. Sheppard didn't want a cave; in his experience, they tended to be unpleasantly full of things like bugs, and he hated bugs. However, a sharp burning feeling on his hand caused him to reconsider. Looking at it, he saw a red burn, and realized it was beginning to rain

"Go," John ordered, sprinting after Teyla as more sharp stings could be felt. He dived inside the entrance just as the rain began to fall heavily. "You OK?" John asked Teyla, noticing the small red marks on her face and arms.

"Only minor burns, it could have been worse." John nodded; it could have been a lot worse. Being caught in the acidic downpour for even a few seconds would have meant burns over their entire heads and necks. He was thankful that the cave was slightly uphill; the last thing he wanted was acidic rain running into the cave with them. He pulled out the first aid kit and tended to Teyla's burns before treating his own.

"Sheppard, Teyla." McKay's worried voice came over the radio. "You OK?"

"We're fine, Rodney. We're holed up in a cave about a half-mile from the jumper. What about you guys?" John said as he continued to treat the acid burns.

"We're all right. Ronan got a few burns because he was outside, but he'll be fine. At least I'm able to continue studying this."

"Lucky you." John smiled; he could almost see Ronan's face at the prospect of being stuck with McKay for who knew how long. "Just sit tight, treat the burns with your first-aid kit. Check back in an hour." He glanced at Teyla. "Anywhere else?"

She shook her head. "My burns have all been treated. How long will it be before Atlantis checks in?"

John grimaced slightly. "Another five hours. If this hasn't stopped by then, we'll have them bring another jumper through and pick us up." That was why he'd hoped they could make it to the jumper in time to beat the rain. A quick stop and an extension of the shields to rescue Rodney and Ronan, and they'd have been back in Atlantis in time for dinner.

Teyla glanced out to the cave entrance. "It appears to be coming down quite hard still. It will probably last for some time." She sat her pack down on the floor of the cave and sat back against it.

John watched the rain continue to fall before he sat down as well. "At least I have the good company," he said, grinning at Teyla. She laughed. "You are just thankful you're not the one stuck with Rodney," she said, smiling at him.

John glanced outside. "Yeah, I just hope Ronan doesn't kill him. If this keeps up, Rodney may be in danger of his life." John laid back, using his pack as a pillow. "Just like camping," he sighed, closing his eyes.

Teyla raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you often camp in caves, Colonel?" she asked.

"No, but I've been camping more than once and ended up stuck inside a cave because of the rain. It's really not too bad, if you've got something to do. Got any cards?"

"I'm afraid I do not."

"Me neither." Sheppard sighed. "I keep meaning to put some in my vest for times like this." Silence fell over the cave, broken only by John's fingers tapping against his vest. "We could play-" He was cut off by a noise that seemed to be thunder, but much louder. The ground began to tremble. Teyla and John were on their feet in an instant. It only took a moment for them to realize what was happening.

"Landslide!" Teyla said. "Get back!" John shouted, shoving her onto the ground towards the rear of the cave as the entrance collapsed. John grunted as a large stone bounced onto his shoulder. Slowly the noise stopped, and the two found themselves in darkness. Sheppard bit back a groan as he rolled off of Teyla, careful to not put any pressure on his shoulder. Clutching his arm to his chest, he crawled on his knees and left arm to where he thought his pack was. After a bit of a fumbling search, he knocked into it and managed to pull the flashlight out of it. He turned it on and shone it in the direction of the entrance, finding, as he feared, that it was completely sealed.

"Just like camping," he groaned.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author Notes: I'm sorry you had to wait so long but my beta reader had really life troubles. Anyway I like to thank my beta reader Storm Silverhand who did a great job fixing up this chapter. I hope you enjoy and please review!_

**Chapter Two**

Surround by pitch darkness and an eerie silence, John winced as pain burned through his shoulder. His eyes scanning the darkness that surrounded them, the small light seem to barely hold off the sea of black that threaten to consume them. "Teyla?" John asked as he flashed the light on to Teyla who was extremely dusty but appeared unharmed. "You ok?"

"I am fine" John reached with his good arm to his radio.

"McKay. Mckay do you copy?" No answer.

"The walls may be too thick." Teyla was examining the nearby grey stone wall. John suppressed a shudder it was impossible to escape the feeling of being buried alive in a tomb.

"That's great." John pointed his flashlight behind them, frowning slightly as the beam of light was shallow up by the darkness. "Wonder how far it goes back? Where's your pack?" He questioned while flashing the light around in search of the missing backpack.

"About five feet back there," Teyla frowned peering at a cluster of large stone that had come down right where she had been sitting. A chill ran up John's spine on realizing just how close both of them had come to being crushed.

John let out a sigh, "Figures." He began looking through his pack as best he could with one hand, mentally calculating how much light they might have with only one flash light, and praying he had remember to put some spare batteries in his pack. They could also use the tactical light mount on there P-90, which were luckily still clip to their vest. "Never got a lantern when you need it," He tried to crank out a half hearted smile at Teyla, who was inspecting him with worried eyes.

"Your arm, it is injured?"

"Oh, it's nothing"

Frowning, she moved to his side, "It does not appear to be nothing, John. Let me look at it."

"A rock just hit me in the shoulder. It's not a big deal."

"John." Her voice left no question for argument. Helping him slide his vest off John's face twisted at the pain even the slightest of movement cause. "Sorry"

"It's not that bad" John muttering, biting back at the pain. In truth he would kill for a shot of morphine. Gentle pulling up his black t-shirt and flashing the light on his back. Teyla found that his shoulder blade had a massive welt and purple bruise upon it.

After thoroughly examining the injury, she sat back on her heels. "I will see what sort of pain killer we have."

"How bad?" He asked as she checked through the medical bag and began to assemble a make shift sling.

"It appears to be dislocated, but the bone may also be cracked"

"Great"

"I will need to relocate it before putting it in a sling" John didn't bother to hide the grimaces that appeared on his face.

"I don't want anything too strong, I need to have a clear head" she nodded, well aware that he would never take strong pain killers in the field, if he could help it.

"Are you ready?" Teyla asked, after passing him the medicine.

"No" John let out a breath preparing for the pain. He still couldn't stop himself from crying out as Teyla began to apply pressure. He gasped, as he finally felt the bone pop back into place. Telya sat back on her heels, inspecting him. She frowned clearly not liking his colorless face or the fact that he seemed very close to passing out.

"Are you alright?" he nodded, eyes closed, and his hands still balled into fists.

"Thanks." The two fell into silence as she finished putting his arm in the slinging.

"I am sure the others will find us" Teyla finally assured him, trying to break the eerie quietness.

"I'm sure they will. But how long will it take?"

"Rodney will know something is wrong when he cannot make contact with us. It should not take him even one hour."

"True. Still if it continues raining they can't do a thing about it and Atlantis won't be checking in for another five hours. Then they still have to find the entrance, and figure out how to dig us out. Looks like we could be here for a while, unless we find another exit." Both of them let what John had said sink in, but it was clear he was right.

"We should look around, maybe we can find another exit" John began climbing to his feet and Teyla shot up to help him. "John you should rest"

"I need to walk this off, beside I want to get out of here as soon as possible," Who knew what might be lurking in the darkness, John mind could conjure up plenty of unpleasant thoughts. Teyla pressed her lips together disapprovingly, clearly biting back at an argument.

"Then I will accompany you"

"What supplies do you have on you anyways?" John asked.

"My thermos and two ration bars. My knife, gun, and the standard off-world gear"

"Ok, check the front of my pack, see if there any batteries for the light" Teyla dug through the pack.

"There are two"

"That's good, let just make sure we don't get lost" he added as Teyla quickly stuffed the remaining items back into pack before sliding it on. Grabbing John's vest and gun she nodded as both headed into the darkness. Soon the uneven floor leaded downward deeper into the ground, diminishing their chances of finding a near by exit.

With minimum light it was hard to get a good look around, let alone make sure they didn't miss an escape route. It became clearly this cave was only a small part of a much large network. Both were careful to keep track, looking behind them often and memorize their path back.

"Can we take a break?" Teyla questioned from behind him, not really out of breath, but clearly worried about John.

"Sure." The two had been exploring the massive cave networks for over two hours and had covered a lot of ground, but they hadn't gotten any closer to finding the way out. John was trying his best to ignore the screaming pain form his shoulder and focus on the task at hand.

"So" Teyla stated.

"So what?"

"We could spend days looking for an exit and get no where and in the process miss the other near the entrances. Perhaps we should turn back." John peered at his teammate through the inky darkness. She was right. They needed to make a decision; go back and hope the others found them or continue to wander the caves and hope they found an exit before their light ran out. Neither sounded too good to John, for both relied too much on luck. If they waited and Rodney and Ronon didn't find them, then they'd have no supplies to search for an escape route. On the other hand if their friends did discovery the caved in entrance, but John and Teyla had gone off and gotten lost, they'd still be screwed. John just wasn't sure which was the better choice. He preferred doing something over just sitting there but it wasn't only his life on the line. He noticed a distraught look settle on Teyla's faces.

"What's wrong?"

"I sense the wraith, I am sure of it now."

"Wraith? Damn, can you tell where?"

"They are in the area, at first I was not sure and did not want to say, but now that they are closer, I am positive they are here."

"Are they in the cave?" John interrupted her.

"I do not think so, but I cannot be sure. They are on the planet that I am sure of."

"That just what we needed! There goes any chance of a quick rescues, if they don't assume the wraith got us!"

"I hope Rodney and Ronon are okay," Teyla face was washed with worry, clearly fearful their friends were trapped and in immediate danger.

"I might be worried if Rodney was all on his own, but he's got Ronon. Beside if it still raining, I don't think the wraith will be walking around it in it. I'm sure they will be fine. We need to focus on our problem. With the wraith in the mix I say we keep looking for an exit. As long as they're hanging around, its going to make rescues operations hard and risky."

"I have to say I agree." An odd clicking noise in the darkness caused both to become alert. John flashed the light in the direction the noise had emanated from, while Teyla took aim, but they saw nothing but stones. The light darted around as John peered into the darkness, a worried expression on his face.

"That's just what we need, some creepy cave critter in here. It's probably a bug to. I hate bugs!"

"Perhaps it would be best if we continue for now."

"Let's head that way," John pointed jauntily with his thumb. "It looks like it sort of heads up and it away from that noise." Teyla nodded her agreement, and the two headed off toward a cave tunnel that broke off from the major section of the cave. "Keep your guard up" he added.

**Keep posting reviews, it's the only way I know what you like and how to improve my writing. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

______

_Author Notes: Sorry this took so long. I__'d like to give a very special thanks to _AtlantisGirl12, who went out of her way to beta read this chapter. She did a wonderful job! Thank YOU! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and would love to hear your thoughts on the ending.

__Chapter Three

The cave tunnel quickly grew narrower and steeper then John would have preferred. The slippery stone didn't make it easy, but at least they were going up and not down. In John's mind that meant they were getting closer to the surface, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was miles underground. Between the feeling of being trapped, having no clear way out, and the pain he was in, he found it hard to keep a positive mind set. Not that John would utter one word of worry to Teyla. John put on a confident face and told himself just keep moving forward, there is an exit somewhere.

Teyla had taken the lead using one of the P-90 mount lights, leaving the flashlight tucked away on his belt for later uses. This allowed him to use his good hand to assist and catch himself on the rigorous uphill clime. A fall could mean a busted leg—something neither of them could afford. So they took their time, even though it made their progress painfully slow. John just couldn't stop himself from thinking about the limited light they had.

"It appears to level off just ahead." Teyla paused as she came to a large mouth in the tunnel, letting John catch up to her. Using the light she traced the walls as they vanished into the darkness ahead of them. The two only moved a few more yards before the light found a wall of stone that quickly took the form of a huge stone column that shot up into the darkness above.

"It appears to be another large cave." Teyla hid her concern well as she glanced above, the light finding no sign of the ceiling. John's eyes scanned for any light in the inky blackness, but there was nothing. It was unnerving to him, which was something that didn't often happen to John. Even on the darkest nights his eyes could make out a little something but not here; there was a solid wall of darkness which he couldn't see through. There was no telling what was out there. At least not till the beam found it, and this thought put him even more on guard. He hadn't forgotten the noise they heard earlier and his mind didn't need much help to draw up monster in the dark.

"Maybe we should stick to one of the walls; any tunnels would be found along them." Teyla glanced back at John and he saw a deep worry barrier in her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"The more we head this way, the stronger the wraith presence is becoming."

"They could simply be on the surface"

"Possibly." The way she said it didn't make John feel very confident. "Some of the presence have become very strong and there are more now then there were earlier. Some are distant and some nearby."

"I guess we could head back." He glanced over his shoulder toward the tunnel they just climbed. "But…"

"We would be wasting valuable light."

"Yeah."

"I do not feel we have a choice. Besides you are right; why would the wraith be this deep in the cave. There are no humans on the planet to draw them down to such depths." Teyla declared. John quickly made a mental list of good reasons why the wraith might come down here.

"You want to take another break?" Teyla offered.

"I'm fine." John quickly answer, in truth he was hurting bad and all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep it off. That wasn't going to happen, they needed to cover as much ground as possible and their speed was too slow as it was. Following the right wall, the two continued onward inching their way through the darkness that consumed them. The once stale air became cool and wet as they moved deeper and deeper into the massive cave.

John attempted to start up some ideal conversation to help pass the time, but it didn't last long. Neither finding much to speak about, so they continued on in silence. Both came to a stop as the beam shimmered off something just ahead of them.

"Is there something there?" Teyla was wary, unsure of what it was. John took the lead as the two crept closer, but it wasn't long before John realized what was affecting the beam of light—water. Getting close he found it wasn't just water; it appeared to be an underground lake.

"Looks like we'll have to try another path," Teyla muttered, finding that the wall had been swallowed by the lake.

"Great...want bet it's acidic?" John questioned as he studied the black glass-like surface.

"This seems very likely."

"We could follow the edge of the lake, and see where that takes us," John suggested. Teyla simply nodded.

As the two slipped along the shore quietly, they studied anything made visible by the light, but all there seemed to be was more stone. There were no hints or clues to indicate an exit. John checked his radio randomly to see if the walls had become thinner or less dense, but each time all he heard was silencess.

"I am sorry I got you into this." John eyes darted to Teyla whose own caramel eyes remained locked on the floor ahead of them.

"You didn't get me into this."

"I pointed out the cave. If I had not…"

"If you hadn't pointed out the cave, we would have gotten seriously burned in that rain storm and both of us would be sitting in the infirmary right now."

"Still, it would be preferable to this." John studied Teyla. It seemed to John that she was finding their situation as hard as he was. Thus John did what came natural to him.

"I'm not so sure about that—I mean you can't buy looks like this."

"John." Teyla gave him a quick smile while trying to keep a serious face. John had always used his strange sense of humor when things got hard, even when it wasn't appreciated by his enemies.

"You had no way of knowing there was a cave in. It was the right call. We just had bad luck, that's all. We'll find away out."

"You're right." Teyla's voice didn't show if she believed him or not. John knew she would never just give up, but the predicament did seem awfully bleak, whether it was said or not.

As the light bounced off the stone floor, his keen keys noticed something dark marking the grey stone. John paused, leaning down as Teyla focused the light on the place he indicated.

"That look like a foot print to you?" he reached down. When he rubbed the mark, it smeared.

"Yes, it does."

"It's blood, and it's not dry. Someone has been down here and not too long ago." John wasn't totally sure if he should consider this good news, as it verified there was another way out or take it as bad news due to the fact they weren't alone. His gaze peered out at the darkness. No noise could be heard and there was no evidence of light, which was the strangest thing.

"It appears they also were following the edge of the lake."

"Do you think it could be the wraith?"

"It might be, for at least some of the wraith presence remains very strong." John wished Teyla could tell him more precisely where the wraith were, but the only way that could be done was if she linked with their minds. If they didn't know it then and Teyla slip up, they known, and there was the risk of her being taken over. John wasn't about to suggest the idea.

"That's what I was afraid of." John leaned up. "How good is the wraith eyesight in the dark?"

"I am not all that sure, but I assume they need light like us to see."

"Unless they turned their light off because they can see ours." John lowered his voice unknowingly. The idea made his skin crawl. It had been bad enough being alone in the cave. The notion that a wraith might pop out of this unnerving darkness was far worse. Unfortunately, it wasn't like they had much of a choice; they had to press on.

John's hand hung near his side arms as Teyla scanned the darkness with the light and the two slowly began to move forward. Sometime later, they finally found the far side of the lake, but the other wall remained out of sight. The footprints, meanwhile, had all but vanished; it seemed whoever had been bleeding had stopped bleeding. John had been praying that they would find a dead body, but as of yet they hadn't found anything.

Who knew when they might run into the owner of those blood tracks and when their location would be visible through out this massive cave, being the only beacon of light. Then again the lack of light could mean the wraith had moved on and that was why John and Teyla weren't seeing any light sources owning to the wraith. They took a quick break eating a ration bars and drinking a little from their thermoses. John didn't need to mention the need to conserve their clean water due to having only two thermoses.

"We could try for the left wall, or head that way." Teyla flashed the light out in front of them. They still hadn't found the far wall from where they had entered. Suddenly, a low and powerful noise filled their ears.

"What was that?" John's words didn't even leave his mouth before he heard it again, this time in quicker secession, and it was deep and low. The repetitive nature meant it wasn't an earthquake or tremor but John wasn't sure what it was.

"Another land slide." Teyla raised an eyebrow as she uttered the statement.

"Maybe." The noise stopped as quickly as it began and left them once again in utter silence.

"Let's head that way," John finally stated. The longer they walked, the more he felt like they were searching for a needle in a hay stack with a blindfold on. The large cavern had many stone columns and uneven floors. As Teyla scanned left with the light, it cut across something laying almost outside the beam visibility. Flashing it back onto the object, John realized it was metal and wood.

"Rail tracks," John remarked, as Teyla flashed the light up and down them. It appeared to John that they might have once been used to move carts through the cave system. "Appears those who lived here were miners."

"I think you might be right." John added.

"We should follow them?

"Yeah, but the million dollar question: which way is out?" John inquired. There was no visible sign as to which way was which. One way seemed to take them deeper and the other might just save them. Teyla peered both ways as did John, but neither was sure which way to go.

"Let's just keep going in the direction we have been going!" John exclaimed. Following the tracks did have a perk, for it allowed them to pick up their pace. Finally, the light touched the far wall. The tracks headed up a narrow tunnel carved through the stone wall. The two continued on through the narrow tunnel for an hour before they came to a new obstacle. The tunnel ended where a deep crevices began. The tracks rose slightly as they jetted out, creating a bridge over the menacing pit.

"That's one long drop." John peered between the two of wooden beams that made up the track into the darkness below, where Teyla's beam was swallowed up. Raising the light in front of them, the track vanished into the darkness beyond.

"How long did McKay say this place was abandoned?" John questioned as they both studied the wooden and steel bridge.

"Sometime ago. It might be wise to explore other avenues, particularly considering your condition and the bridges."

"I don't know…this is our best lead to an exit. It seems pretty stable." John shoved his weight on the first wooden beam, but it didn't groan or bend.

"Seems." Teyla didn't add to her comment. John had had his share of bad experiences with old and primitive bridges on off world trips. One time he fell through and plunged into an icy river. Still, John didn't want to back track, especially when there was no way of knowing if there were other tunnels out of the cave they left. At least with the tracks their odds were up some.

"If we are going to cross, I will take the lead. If a beam gives out, I will still have my hands to catch myself," she quickly added before he could protest.

"If you insist, ladies first." Teyla began crossing slowly, being mindful to not step between the beams. The further they went the less thrilled John became with his idea. The track had an incline slope, making it very hard on John and since Teyla was in the lead, he had little light to work with. Still they continued until they were surrounded by bottomless darkness making the other side elusive to their eyes.

"Whoever they were, they were impressive builders," Teyla muttered as she carefully stepped onto another beam. The bridge was much larger then either had thought it could be. John only muttered an answer as he was too busy trying not to slip on the sloping track. His eyes darted up as he heard a cry, just in time to see Teyla falling sideways and go plunging over the side of the track. John didn't even get a chance to grab for her, but fortunately Teyla barely snagged the side.

"Teyla!" He moved for her, but she quickly pulled herself back up onto the track, her face ash white. "I am ok," she quickly added as he leaned next to her, careful to remain a beam behind her, not wanting to gamble if the wooden tie's could hold two people. The P-9o still clipped to her vest dangled between her legs.

"Be more careful," he ordered, though he knew Teyla was being as careful as she could.

"Something hit me."

"What?"

"Just a moment ago something impacted with my left side." John snapped out the other flashlight and scanned her over, but didn't see anything on her.

"Nothing there."

"It must have fallen."

"Feel like a rock?"

"It happened so fast, I can't be sure what it was."

"You're ok; that's all that matters."

"Let's get off the bridge." Teyla once again took the lead but was on guard as she made her way. Finally they made it out the other side of the crevices. On reaching solid ground, neither could hide their relief. John, paused, leaning against a rock. His body was tighter and the pain was gnawing at him.

"We should rest." Teyla dropped the pack in front of her.

"Ok, we'll take a..."

"We need to sleep, John, to get our strength back up." Glancing at his watch, John realized they were well past being up for over 20hrs and they hadn't had a lot of food or water due to limited supplies. Still, John didn't want to sleep. He wanted to get the hell out of here and then catch some sleep. Of course he had no idea how long it would be before they did get out and driving themselves into the ground would be a bad call.

"You catch some sleep and I will keep guard—first," he quickly added on seeing her face.

"I would strongly encourage against that, Colonel Sheppard." John had his side arm out in the blink of an eye and took aim instinctively. The light of the P-90 locked onto the speaker, chest clad in black attire. A wraith, but this wasn't just any wraith.

"Todd." John didn't lower his weapon as the wraith stepped forward.

"Hello, Colonel Sheppard."


	4. Chapter 4

_Author Notes: Thanks AtlantisGirl12 for beta reading my story. I hope you all enjoy and would love any suggestion and thoughts you might have on it._

**Chapter Four**

"You don't look very well, Colonel." Todd studied John with a small smirk on his face.

"Oh, I'm fine."

"What are you doing down here?" Teyla inquired as she kept the weapon trained on him.

"That is a long story and I could ask you the same question. Where are Dr. McKay and Ronon?" Neither answered the question and the wraith studied each of them before stating, "They must not be here, I assume."

"How are you seeing with out any light?" Teyla asked, ignoring the comment.

"Ah, this." Todd held up a strange device on his right arm. "It produces wavelength of light that the human eye can not pick up. Its primary use is for night hunts."

"That's wonderful. I'll have to keep that in mind the next time I'm on the run in the dark." John kept his eyes fixed on the wraith whose face lit up with a smile.

"You do that, but I recommend we take our little conversation somewhere else."

"Why?" John asked.

"Because there are others coming this way and they will see your light and mine."

"So the others are after you?" Teyla inquired, taking a moment to glance into the darkness that surrounded them.

"Yes, now this way."

"Hold up, why are they after you?" It didn't matter how many times he worked with Todd, John didn't trust him.

"They are not my hive and I crossed them." Teyla and John glanced at each other, unsure of this strange twist of events.

"Why should we work with you?" John quickly asked.

"You appear to be in a predicament, as I am. You would not be this deep otherwise. I assume you are looking for an exit, and I know of one."

"You know of an exit?" Teyla didn't hide the relief that rose in her voice.

"Yes, one the wraith haven't already knocked down or have heavily guarded."

"What do you mean knocked down?" John didn't like the sound of that. Just how many wraith did Todd have chasing him?

"We don't have time for this; now are you coming?" he paused, almost swallowed by the darkness once again.

"Do you think it is a trap?" Teyla whispered as she picked up their pack.

"I don't know, but we don't have much of a choice, if he's telling the truth. Keep your eyes open," he warned as both turned right, following Todd along the craves.

"So you want to elaborate on why the wraith are chasing you around these caves?" John finally questioned in a low voice.

"They are an enemy hive and I took something valuable to them." John didn't think Todd would tell them what he had taken, but it did raise another question in John's mind. "Just how hard are they going to come after you to get it back?"

"I imagine the commander will not survive long should he fail. All the entrances the wraith could find have been blasted shut or have a small contingent of wraith warriors at them to prevent my escape."

"You sure do know how to make friends," John mocked as Todd turned heading for the stone wall, pausing near the uneven stone wall. He let Teyla's light reveal a narrow tunnel with some shallow water near his left, easy to miss with minimum light.

"We will have to move quickly; the water is laced with acids. It won't eat through you clothing but if we linger it will only be a few minutes before we feel it's effects."

"Where are you taking us?" Teyla studied Todd carefully.

"A place the others are less likely to find us at. And John, try not to fall down." A smirk spread on Todd's face as he entered the shallow water. As John dropped into the icy water behind Teyla, a shiver ran up his spine. Moving only a few steps, he realized Todd's warning had been well placed. The bottom was extremely smooth, uneven and slippery. Unhappily, he slipped his side arm back in it's holster so he could use his one good arm to catch the wall if needed and forced Teyla yet again to be his protector. John was quickly loathing his injury that crippled him too often. There wasn't much he could do, so they continued through the narrow tunnel for a good time before they finally exited into a small cave. Teyla flashed the light around, but almost slipped as she stepped back in surprise.

"You ok?" John questioned as he studied the object that had surprised her.

"Yes."

"A burial ground for the ancient humans who lived here," Todd informed them, as the light remained frozen on a mummy.

"Nice," John muttered. "A tomb within a tomb."

"You should put this on." Todd pulled out a bottle of yellowish liquid from his jacket. "It will help break down the acid and prevent your skin form becoming irritated." John studied the bottle, watching Todd put it on.

"I guess if you put it on, it can't be too dangerous," John muttered as he snatched it from Todd. Still he hesitated. There was no telling what was in it. Finally getting up his nerves he applied it before handing it over to Teyla.

Once again Todd took the lead. Entering the main chamber, John found that the walls were lined with mummies. Guiding them through a narrow adjacent tunnel, he moved into a small cave with about ten mummies. Todd stopped and finally John saw why. Between two of the mummies was another barely visible small tunnel with one mummy leaning up against it. Located so far back it was nearly blocked by the mummies that lined the wall. John couldn't disagree for hiding in a cave. Todd had found a good spot. John followed, careful to not knock into any of the mummies. Upon entering the even smaller chamber that the tunnel led to, he found three mummies laying on the floor.

"You found them." A strange voice stated. Teyla turned the light as John looked to his right. Only a few feet away stood a female wraith who rose as John drew his weapon.

"Yes." Todd remarks.

"You didn't say you had any friends," John growled.

"I didn't feel it was relevant at the time."

"It is relevant," John snapped. The female wraith's blue eyes glistened in the dark and a smile crept on to her lips.

"Can I eat one?"

"No, you may not." Todd glared harshly at her but a smile remained locked on her lips. "We need them alive," he quickly added.

"You could have just taken their lights," she muttered.

"Our lights?" John turned, glaring at Todd.

"So you need us?" Teyla stepped back keeping aim with the P-90, her face awash with worry at this revelation.

"Our light sources are running out, but I feel working together would increase our odd of escape," Todd divulged as he turned to look at them. "Had I want to attack you, I could have."

"Do we need both?" Todd almost looked wrathful at the female who, John realized, was smaller then most female wraith he had encountered.

"I suppose it would be ok. They would be sort of like my pets." she final remarked.

"We're not your pets!" John growled a noise he only half realized was a giggle emerged form the female, and John wondered if she simple stated the remark to get a response out of him. Studying her carefully, he found she looked like most wraith females. She wore a black trench coat over her white dress, which was smeared with mud. Her green skin made her fade against the stone wall, but the thing that drew John's eyes was the strange backpack she wore. He had never seen a wraith carry a backpack, and it wasn't just a normal backpack. One look told him that. There seemed to be a kind of canister in the center.

"John, have I not kept my word?" Todd's remark caused John to glance back at him.

"Fair enough, but what about her?"

"Give me your word you will not harm either human."

"You have my word, as a Keeper."

"A Keeper?" Teyla questioned, studying the female wraith who turned aggressively toward her.

"Yes and you would be wise to know betraying us would be your last mistake."

"I'm feeling a lot of hostility and little trust," John replied. He wasn't sure what her rank included, but he didn't trust her. Todd let out a groan.

"Shall we go our separate ways or just start shooting.? If not, can we stop this petty quarreling.? We need your light and you need an exit." he paused.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Teyla finally answered, lowering her weapon but keeping it in a ready position.

"We'll be here for a time, so if you two wish to rest, now would be the time," Todd informed as he moved, finding a spot near the female. John glanced at Teyla, neither comfortable sleeping in the present of two wraith.

"I'll keep guard," John finally stated. Teyla wore a worried expression as she sat down near him.

"I do not think I will sleep well."

"Try," John muttered as he put his side arm on his leg. Teyla let her eyes slide shut and John keep his own gaze locked on both wraith that sat opposite him. The female seem to have just as much trouble sitting still as she fidgeted and readjusted her spot often. John wondered if she was nervous or simply hungry.

"Must you do that?" Todd finally remarked, glancing at her.

"Must you nag me so?" she growled as she slipped the backpack off and lay it on her lap. John continued to study it unsure of where the latch to get inside was.

"You will not look inside it; it is booby trap," Todd remarked watching John. So John had been right. Whatever Todd had stolen was in there and it was important to him. Which probably meant it wasn't good for them, but right now John was in little position to find out what they taken.

"I would never dream of it."

"Yes you do; you want know what we took." The female again wore an amused smile and he wondered if she was reading his mind or simply stating the obvious.

"So what's the plan?" John ignored her comment as he glanced at Todd.

"We will return to the tracks after the others have passed them and continue along them."

"How long will that take?"

"The wraith are hunting in a grid. Once they have cleared this area they will move on, and we should have little trouble continuing to the exit"." They sat in silence for a long time, the sitting make John even edgier as both wraith simply stared at him, making John feel like a piece of meat.

"Are you expecting your people soon?" Todd finally questioned.

"It's not like they aren't coming for us; they're just having a hard time." John didn't want to flat out tell them that his people more likely thought the wraith had grabbed him and Teyla, and had no clue they were down here.

"I see. I was meaning to ask you, how did you end up down here?"

"A cave in. We took shelter from the acid rain."

"I don't like this planet whatsoever." The female's comment seemed directed to no one in particular.

"Join the club. How did you two get down here?" John inquired as he continued to keep his guard up. He couldn't tell from Teyla's peaceful expression if she was asleep or just acting like she was.

"The ship we had acquired was shot down. We fled through the storm and ended up in some ruins. A fight broke out and we were forced to flee down into the caves to escape our pursuers," Todd informed.

"So why do you think the wraith will miss this one exit?"

"It is a well concealed shaft."

"But you can't be sure they haven't found it."

"Not completely, but it better then running blindly through these caves hoping to find an exit as you were doing."

"How did you learn of the shaft?" Teyla didn't open her eyes as she asked the question.

"We found the old map the miner used," the female quickly informed.

"Can I see it?" John asked.

"No!" both wraith snapped.

"We're on the same team."

"You have the light for leverage, I have the way out," Todd quickly answered.

"Let's just hope your buddies don't find a copy," John muttered wondering if Todd had the map on himself or if the female might have it. A distant noise caused them all to grow quiet. John strained to hear anything; his ears picked it out again. Teyla quickly sat up, alert once again for danger.

"It would seem they found the entrances after all," Todd glanced toward the narrow tunnel they come through as John realized the sound was splashing water.

"I thought they weren't going to look here," John growled as Teyla shifted her spot with him so she had a better aim at the entrances without losing her ability to fire on either Todd or the female.

"As did I, but this room is well hidden."

"Turn off your light!" the female ordered.

"I don't think so," John rebutted, glaring at her.

"I gave my word I will not attack you."

"They will see the light and know we are back here. Turn it off!" Todd ordered.

"And have no idea if you're using your devices!" Teyla shot a dangerous look at Todd.

"We will be as blind as you or they will find us."

"So you say."

"We'll be trapped," Todd reminded. The splashing continued to grow closer. John knew he had little time and no choice. Both wraith pulled out their own side arms and took aim at the doorway.

Teyla gave him one farewell look as he gave her a quickly nodded. With a flick she turned the light off and John's eyes were engulfed in the endless blackness. His eyes darted about in a vain attempt to find something to lock on to, but he was truly blind. All he could do was listen, as the splashing grew louder.

Teyla's soft breathing and his own suddenly seemed too loud in a place devoid of any sound. John couldn't hear a thing from the two wraith, making his hair stand up. Seeing it was likely the wraith were using the same device Todd had, it would be impossible for Teyla and John to know until a wraith was on top of them. John kept his aim at the door, listening for a clue to where the enemy might be.

The splashing grew closer until it suddenly stopped and John realized they must have entered the burial chamber. The group could only pray they didn't see the small adjoining room. Low voices finally could be heard and footsteps on stone. John's heart raced and his hand clenched around his side arm as he continued to stare blindly at where the entrance was.

It seemed like time had stopped and every moment seemed to be agonizing. Slowly the voices grew distant but Teyla and John and the wraith did not utter a word or move. There was no way to know if there was a wraith still standing out there. While waiting for any lingering wraith to make a noise, the silences seemed undying and lasted for a long time.

"I think they have gone." The female wraith finally broke the silence, and the light snapped on, causing John's eyes to burn. Glancing around he found both wraith where they had been.

"We'll have to wait a little longer for them to clear the rest of this area," Todd added as he put his gun away.

"Perhaps you should try to rest. I know you humans need sleep and neither of you look like you have had it."

"What do you know about humans, besides feeding off us!" Teyla's voice was harsh and reminded John that this situation was taxing on both of them. The female wraith wrinkled her face in anger.

"More then you think," she answered.

"He's right, you know," John muttered and Teyla simply let her head fall back against the stone wall, leaving John to protect her once again. After John had let her sleep for a time, he switched with her. At first he couldn't stop the feeling that he might be attacked at any moment and this prevented him from falling asleep. Finally his bodily exhaustion kicked in and he sank into darkness.

"John." His eyes fluttered open, and he found Teyla to his right. He felt stiff and very sore. Trying to stretch caused fire to race through him, reminding him of his cursed shoulder.

"Sleep well?" Teyla questioned as she handed him more medicine and the canteen.

"Sort of," John muttered. He quickly noted that neither Todd or the female wraith was present.

"Where'd they go?"

"They are just outside." Teyla held a hand out and helped John climb to his feet. Exiting the small chamber, he found both wraith within the next chamber.

"We should go." Todd took the lead heading back the way they had come, this time waiting so Teyla could reveal the surrounding area with her light. John didn't like it when the female paused, letting him enter the water before she fell in behind him.

"So you work together," a whisper from behind came.

"Yes," John muttered.

"I mean him not her. You have worked with him, haven't you?"

"On occasion, why?"

"You helped him escape a Genii prison right?"

"It is none of your business and why does it matter?"

"It does to me"." John felt a familiar sharp sting in his mind.

"You want me to tell Todd, your attacking my!"

"Why are you so… grumpy?" she finally muttered.

"I'm not grumpy. I just don't want talk to you."

"So how far are we from this exit?" Teyla inquired as John exited the water and was handed the bottle of what he had decided to name wraith acid repellent.

"A day and a half's walk but the human map was less then detailed," Todd answered from where he stood.

"Maybe you just don't know how to read it. I could look at it."

"Ah, nice one, Colonel." John hadn't thought Todd would go for it, but it was worth a try. They quietly made their way back to the tracks before they began following them again.

"So you work with John's people to help destroy the Replicators. They are not just stories are they?"

"We should keep talking to a minimum." Todd answered and the female frowned at his back.

"What else do we have to pass the time?"

"We hope the others are gone, they may not be?" Todd sternly reminded her.

"Human, do you sense any wraith close by?"

"Besides you two, no, but my sense is not so accurate that I can be sure," Teyla added.

"Well I do not sense any close by."

"You are limiting your powers so they do not find your mind."

"Is he always like this?" she glanced back at John and Teyla.

"Be silent now," Todd ordered.

"You are not in charge of me!"

"Oh boy," John muttered.

"How much power does your thing have?" Teyla questioned, clearly trying to ease the tension that suddenly had emerged, as they followed the tracks into another tunnel.

"Maybe an hour or two. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," John quickly answered but he had noticed that the mount light on the P-90 was growing dimmer.

"Molly!" John's blurted out a moment later.

"Molly?" Teyla peered at John.

"I need something to call the female," John answered. "Why not Molly?"

"Do not give her pet name, Colonel" Todd turned glaring at him with such anger coiling into his voice that it actually surprised the colonel.

"Ok," John quickly answered.

"It's ok, I like it."

"It is a derogatory gesture to you. He does not mean it in kindness."

"Actually I just like giving you guys names."

"I know it is," the female remarked ignoring John completely.

"Then why would you let him do that?"

"Why do you let him call you 'Todd'?"

"It is different."

"How so?"

"Stop arguing with me!"

"He is not my boss; you can call me Molly colonel." Todd looked toward John clearly daring him to agree to the female's request.

"They fight like a married couple," John whispered to Teyla who let a smile slip on to her face.


	5. Chapter 5

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Author Notes: Well it's been age since I posted and I apologize to my fans. I truly did want to finish my fanfictions in a timely fashion but life been rough. My dad been real sick and I just haven't had the time or mood to write. So I am not going to promise when I will update, but with any luck things will get better and I'll get back to my writing. I hope you enjoy and would love feed back. Oh and thanks to AtlantisGirl12 who continues to do a great job beta reading my story.

**Chapter Five**

A silence fell over the group as they continued their trek through the narrow tunnel that merged into another large cave similar to the first one. John kept an eye on the two wraiths. Todd had taken the lead followed by Teyla. Molly had fallen to the rear. If this was for tactical advantage or simply due to exhaustion from not feeding John didn't know. Either way John kept alert for any sudden movement. A hungry wraith fell under his list of unpredictable and less than trustworthy.

"You're from Atlantis; I've heard a lot about you." Molly's voice broke the long silence catching him off guard. So Todd had told her about them or was she just speaking of the normal rumors. Molly hurried to walk next to John. She waited before saying. "Todd has also told me some interesting things."

"Oh, he has," John glared at Todd's back. The wraith didn't speak or glance back. The Atlantis members had hope, that the wraith who worked with them would keep quiet fearing retaliation for working with humans. They clearly had been dreaming.

"So you did work as allies?" She asked on seeing he wasn't about to say anything more.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Humans and Wraith fighting side by side are most interesting. Will your friends be on the surface?"

He paused before answering, "Yes, why?"

"I hoped to meet the one you call McKay."

"Oh really. I'm sure he will be just thrilled to learn that." John could almost picture McKay's face at knowing a wraith was interested in him.

"He sounds like a very interesting human—well as interesting as a human can be."

"Sure you don't want to just eat him?"

"I..." A hiss emerged from Todd and Molly grew quiet. Though he couldn't be sure, John guessed words were said mentally. Molly crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes going cold as she fell back.

Apparently Todd, had won the verbal battle. John thought it strange since usually it was the female giving the orders, but then again, what did he really know about wraith culture or what was being said? Besides, Todd didn't seem like the average Wraith goon.

Another hour stretched by before wooden buildings appeared out of the darkness lining the tracks. They didn't look in too bad of shape considering how old they were.

"It appears to be a small station." Teyla passed the light over the five building as they examined each. Beside the ominous structures a few old metal carters filled with an unknown ore lay just off the track.

"We should probably check for supplies." John stepped off the track, cautiously heading to one of the buildings.

"Why? It is best we continue; time is of importance," Todd snapped from where he stood nearly engulfed in darkness.

"Because I said so and we might need those supplies if things go south." The two wraith exchanged looks before slowly following. John hid his smile. He really didn't want either out of his sight especially if they might have only a few minutes left on their wraith lamp thing.

"After you," John stated reaching the first building. Todd shoved the door open. A startling loud creak emerged as dust billowed out, causing the group to hesitate. As the creaking faded, the group slowly entered to find an old decrepit room.

"If you were to give us the other light we could divide the search effort," Molly declared as her eyes darted around the room. "It would be much faster."

"Not likely," John shot a dirty look at the female wraith, who took no note. "Beside it's best we preserve our light supply."

"That is true." Molly moved right as Todd broke a large crate open easily, tossing the lid to the floor. He examined the contents with a frown, before moving on to the next. Teyla opened a few cases as John dug through some locker on the left wall.

"Interesting," Molly's voice drew the other's attention. The female was crouching next to a vent on the floor with a curious look.

"What is it?" Teyla questioned.

"There is heat coming off this." Her hand hovered over it. "I wonder where it is coming from?"

"It is of no important to us," Todd snapped impatiently. "The food in this container has gone bad long ago. What exactly are you looking for, Colonel?"

"I'll tell you when I find it."

Todd let out a grunt before grumbling, "Then we best continue the search." The group moved through the building finding very little they could use; the only really discovery was some rope. It might be useful if climbing became necessary, but John questioned if it could hold their weight.

"Does this look like it's been chewed on?" John tossed a tin can to Teyla who studied it carefully.

"Possibly."

"Knowing our luck, it was some kind of bug. Did I mention how much I hate bugs?" John looked over at the wraith, causing Teyla to smile. John actually was worried about it. The last thing they needed was some cave monster mucking up their escape plan.

"Colonel, you do know our kind descends from bugs." Molly examined him with a serious look on her face though her voice didn't sound angry, rather informative.

"Had no clue," John sarcastically shot back. "But it explains a lot."

Meanwhile, Todd took little note of their repartee from where he stood looking through a cardboard box.

"The Wraith are not evil and not all of us are that bad."

"You feed off humans." Teyla's piercing gaze caused Molly to pause for a moment.

"To live, that is not evil, yet that angers you."

"My father was among your victims and many friends."

"I'm sorry but if you tried to see…"

"We have nothing to apologize for," snarled Todd, walking over to the female. "You have nothing to apologize for."

John studied the two for a moment feeling as if he had missed something. As they walked through the building to the next room it was quiet for a while, before Molly asked, "Are you the type of human who only eat plants, whatever they are called?"

"Vegetarians?" John answered, not sure if that was what they were called in the Pegasus Galaxy. He pulled open a shelf drawer, finding it full of moldy clothes. A nagging headache continued to eat at him and John found he was growing rapidly weaker with every passing second, not that he was going to say anything.

"Vegetarian, are you one of them?"

"No," Teyla answered.

"Then you understand the hunt." Molly made it sound as if she had won some kind of battle of the wills.

"That is not the same as hunting us. We are not animals." Teyla's face turned to rage.

"I suppose it doesn't seem the same to you, but we are all simple trying to live." Molly exclaimed.

John could see anger crawling its way onto Teyla's face with each moment and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Heading back outside, Teyla flashed the light the way they were going. As usual the beam of light vanished in the endless darkness.

"We will take a short break. We'll be reaching an incline shortly and we won't be able to rest," Todd stated as he flopped down on a metal canister. John was slightly shocked—he hadn't expect him to offer a break after all the fussing earlier, but didn't argue. Molly flopped down on the ground near Todd's feet. Leaning her head against his leg, if she wasn't a life-sucking monster, it might look cute. John took a seat next to Teyla feeling slightly light headed.

"Why don't you become worshipers? Then you wouldn't be attacked. Well not by your clan." John stared blankly at Molly, not believing what she had just said. Todd gave a shake of his head clearly in disbelief as well.

Todd answered first, "They are warriors." Todd leaned back against the wooden building's outer wall as if this explained it all.

"Worshippers can be warriors."

"We would rather fight you to the death then join you," Teyla snapped, adding "We have seen how you make your worshippers." John remembered Ronon suffering at the hand of a wraith. Rage rose up in him, but he drove it back down.

"Not all wraith use feeding to torture humans into being worshippers. It's long been a division among our kind, for many great sleep cycles. If I were a Queen I would never do the same to my worshiper."

Teyla didn't hide the scorn that crawled on to her face at Molly's declaration.

"It's true, I would never feed on my worshippers and if you…"

"Enough," Todd growled. "Be quiet." Molly shot daggers at Todd but remained silent.

"How are you?" John asked turning his attention once again to Teyla.

"Alright and you?"

"I'll manage," John lied, but he wasn't completely sure if he could even get back up. Now that he looked at Teyla he noticed how pale she looked.

"Sure you're okay?"

"Yes, just a little tired." Teyla leaned into his good arm and John sat back, enjoying the company. Molly just watched them from where she sat with what might be a small smile on her lips.

John's eyes slowly opened, and he felt like he had a lead penny sitting on each eyelid. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. His body pleaded to simply go back to sleep but John's subconscious screamed a warning even as his mind tried to figure out what was going on. A copper taste lingered in his mouth and he wondered why the others hadn't wakened him. Taking a better look around he was confused when he noticed both wraith were also peacefully asleep. That when it dawned on him—when was the last time the wraith needed to rest or sleep?

"Teyla!" he shook her but she simply mumbled something unresponsive to him. "Teyla!" Her eyes fluttered open but quickly slid shut. "No you can't go back to sleep. Get up!" Attempting to climb to his feet while towing Teyla with him caused pain rushed through his body. John didn't care as he realized they might all die if they didn't wake up.

Dizziness hit John like a wave causing him to lose his balance and tumble back to the floor. When he sat back up his eyes caught onto movement. Barely visible in the light, he made out a small shape next to Molly but he couldn't make out what it was. John pulled his side arm out and fired two rounds and it disappeared. The gun shots were enough to stir Todd from his sleep.

"Get up!" he yelled at Todd who glance around clearly confused.

"Now!" John ordered, to his relief Todd didn't go back to sleep instead staggered to his feet. Leaning down he shook Molly, her eyes fluttered open. She muttered something and Todd leaned down next to her. John was sure Todd was mentally yelling at her because she instantly sat up.

"Come on Teyla!" Her eyes opened and she continued to look at him with confusion. John helped her to her feet. Wrapping his good arm around her, he slowly began towing her down the track in the direction they needed to go. He staggered, trying not to fall as Teyla stumbled over her own feet. He barely registered that Todd and Molly were behind him. Teyla visibly became less drowsy and more responsive over a short time. John said a silent prayer of thanks that she was ok. He also was glad she hadn't put pack down because it wouldn't be wise to go back there.

"I'm ok." John finally let go of Teyla who tried to force a reassuring smile onto her lips.

"What happened?" Molly grumbled, rubbing her head.

"Those vents probably once carried up thermal heat but now carry up a new gases." Todd didn't hide his irritation. Clearly, like John, Todd didn't like it when he missed obvious threats.

"We'll have to be more on guard," Teyla quietly added, as the light showed the incline in the tracks. The group began their slow climb up and hopefully each step took them closer to a way out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes: The being might be a tad slow but don't worry it wil pick up. Thank you AtlantisGirl12, you did a great job. Your suggestions were very helpful. I hope everyone enjoys.**

"You know you owe me," John called as the effects of the gas began to wear off. What sounded like a strange cross between a hiss and groan emerged from Todd who once again had taken the lead next to Teyla.

The group continued on in silence, but the uphill climb seemed to go on forever. John's legs began to protest each step. Had they really gone so deep? Glancing back he discovered Molly had vanished into the darkness. John paused uncomfortably by the wraith disappearance. Surely Todd would have noticed if something had happened? Then again who said he hadn't noticed. Teyla halted after realizing John had stopped. She turned, flashing the light back towards him, but before John could question where Molly was, she appeared out of the inky blackness. She seem tighter at least her deep breathing hinted at that.

"If I could feed, I would be fine," she hissed, her eyes resting on Todd who turned to look at her. John's hand dropped to his gun and Teyla moved into a defensive stance ready for the coming attack.

"I have gone without feeding three times longer and on more than one account," Todd snickered, his face turning into a scowl.

"So you keep saying. How mighty you are but every time there is a problem you have to run to your human to fix it. When's the last time you over came a large problem without them?" Molly snapped. Todd hissed, moving rapidly toward her. John almost expected him to hit her, but he stopped a few inches in front of her. A low dark laugh emerged from Todd, only baffling John more.

"You're testing my good will and patience," he calmly answered. Clearly the two had been having a mental conversation… well more like a disagreement. Their ability to mentally communicate was trouble. Unlike Teyla and John, they could scheme away without them hearing their plans.

Worse was the fact feeding had been mentioned. That was a problem and it put both of them on guard. Todd's behavior just outright confused John. If the female tried to feed, which side would Todd be on? John knew the answer to that question— the side that best suited him. Without knowing his connection or relationship to this female wraith there was no way to tell how she would factor into his decision.

"They are useful at times, but you are the foolish one, offering them a deal to become worshipers." Todd chuckled again and Molly frowned.

"I was simply letting them know they had options besides direct conflict with the wraith. There is nothing foolish about it."

"If you knew anything about them at all you would never have made such a notion. You are naïve now, as you were then. And that naivety is what got us into this mess." Todd snapped, but John knew something important had just been left unsaid. Neither spoke but a few small facial expressions made it clear they were still talking.

"You going to just stand there all day?" John snapped, not liking the fact they couldn't hear what was being said. Molly turned to look at him an amused look on her face. Her eyes scanned down to where his hand rested on his side arm.

"John, if I wanted to eat you I would have done so already."

"You would have tried," John shot back, forcing a smirk on to his face. "Besides I'd give you heart burn."

"Funny but believe me, if I wanted you dead, you be dead." For once the true wraith appeared. Her eyes became hard and dangerous like those of a predator. _She's not joking, she believes every word__,_ John thought. Maybe he should shoot her now, before she got the chance.

"Tisk tisk that's a good way to die," she purred and he realized she must have been reading his mind.

"Stay out my head," John ordered, he hated dame wraith. Specially the females since they had no respect for a man's privacy.

"As you wish," she said but the tone made it clear she wasn't going to obey his wishes.

"We should keep moving. We are wasting valuable light." Teyla reminded them.

"We only have a few more yards before we enter another cavern. Keep up," Todd ordered as he picked up a brisk pace. John couldn't help but keep a watchful eye on Molly. After all she was hungry and that made her even more dangerous. John wanted to make sure he stayed between her and Teyla. He wouldn't let any harm come to Teyla, not if he could help it.

As he watched Molly, he noted that her hand was tucked under the jacket and she was holding her side. As time passed, he saw the visual signs of pain that began to work their way on to Molly's face. Was she pale? John wasn't sure— after all, wraith were pale by nature. Realizing he was looking at her, she quickly dropped her hand and erased any indication of pain from her face. So there was more to this then simple hunger.

"Are you hurt?" John said in low voice.

"No." She walked past him with her head held high. One look told John it was for show, so he knew had been correct. Great… not only were they traveling with a hungry wraith but an injured one. Things were looking better and better.

"I am fine." John realized she wasn't speaking to him; he found that Todd had slowed and was studying Molly. John wondered if Todd knew she was injured. Again John got the impression they spoke mentally for he gave the slightest nod and his sight returned to the path ahead. Teyla also stole a glance at Molly and then John.

"If you're hurt, you should have said something." John turned his attention back to Molly. He didn't want to help a wraith but the fact was they were in this together, at least for right now. That meant they were being slowed down by Molly's injuries that could cost them in the end.

"I said I am fine, Colonel. Drop it." Why had he given a dam? If she fell over dead it wouldn't bother him, just one more dead wraith and he wouldn't have to worry about her trying to eat them or double cross them when they got to the surface. John felt as if a thousand needles were jammed into his mind as a hiss emerged from Molly.

"Stop it!" John groaned at the mental attack. In the blink of any eye he pulled his side arm and took aim. Teyla saw his pain and trained her weapon on Molly as well. Then the attack ceased.

"At this rate well reach the shaft in three days," Todd muttered.

"She does that again and you can find your own way through this cave in the dark. We'll take our chance on finding an exit alone."

"Then stop agitating her, Colonel." John just stared at Todd for a moment, shocked by his answer.

"Agitating her? She's the one who just attacked my mind for no reason. You Queens have such award-winning personalities," John locked eyes with her.

He was surprised when a smile slipped on to her face. "I'm not a Queen, Colonel, you aren't comfortable with our little alliance and I understand that, but…"

"I feel hell of a lot better if you weren't attacking my mind."

"I acted harshly; blame it on my upbringing. Questioning my honor angers me. As a Keeper, my promise is sacred to me. Yet you continue to say I will break my word—which I will not. I have promised not to feed on you."

"Oh I feel so much better hearing that from you and you didn't hear it, you stole it from my mind. So stay out of my head and we won't have so many problems," John answered but his mind quickly turned to Molly's position which she kept making a point to point out. What was her role in wraith society? "What does a Keeper do?" he asked after they been walking for a few minutes.

"Don't answer that," Todd said, so it was important, otherwise Todd wouldn't care.

"So it's a secret job?" he inquired looking at Molly who simply surged while Todd shot an unspoken shut up back at John. The ground slowly leveled off and the walls once again pulled back vanishing into the darkness.

"Sounds like moving water," Teyla said, peering in the direction the noise was coming from. John also made out the distant sound of rushing water that continued to grow louder as they moved.

"A river cuts this cavern in half," Todd informed them as Teyla stopped. She handed John her thermos that was nearly empty. He took a single small sip, but the little water did nothing to easy his burning dry throat. They had at least two days if not more and water was going to become a real problem. He doubted the river would be a source either, likely it was acidic like all the other water on the planet.

"How are you?" Teyla asked John, while keeping a watch on the wraiths barely visible in the light.

"Good as can be expected." In truth he could sleep a week straight and his shoulder continued to scream in pain.

"She is dangerous…" Teyla said.

"Yeah but Todd doesn't seem about to leave her or that backpack behind." John hadn't forgotten about the strange backpack, but he still had no idea what might be in it.

"Agreed." Teyla said nothing for a moment before stating in a much louder voice, "Injuries can easily become infected in such an environment and we need to be able to cover as much ground as possible."

"There's nothing you can do." Molly said.

"Come on, Teyla does a nice field dressing; it won't take long."

"It's not the flesh wound that is bothering me. I got banged up in the crash." John thought this might be the case but it didn't ease his worry. She might have some broken ribs or internal bleeding which meant she'd have to feed .

"She still could look at it," John suggested. He saw Teyla hide a scowl. Molly looked to Todd before finally nodding her head. Slipping the jacket off she turned to reveal a deep gash running down her lower back. The back of the dress itself had been soaked in blood, clearly at one time it had been bleeding very badly.

"Flesh wound?" John didn't hide his surprise. The injury wasn't what John would call a flesh wound, but Molly wasn't human either. If she had been, Molly would have likely bled out already and if she would have needed someone to support her weight.

"That's got to hurt," John added in a low voice. Even looking at it made him hurt.

"That's because you're human," Molly said. John was about to make a witty remark but decided it would not be wise.

In reality John was thinking about all of his encounters with the wraith. Todd walked off a gun shot wound easily—actually he had never seen a wraith with such an open injury…beside the one he had killed, but normally that required hitting important internal organs. Outside wounds were all just flesh wounds to wraith. Fact was the crash had happened hours ago and it didn't appear her body was healing well. That didn't vote well for her condition.

"Seems the bleeding has stopped mostly." Teyla touched it with a clean cloth and a hiss erupted form Molly. She twisted and John thought for a moment she was going to attack Teyla but she just glared at her.

"I'm cleaning it, it's going to burn." Teyla continued to clean the wound before dressing it.

"Where else do you hurt?" Teyla questioned.

"Throughout my chest and side."

"This might hurt," Teyla informed her as she put some pressure clearly feeling for internal injuries. Molly's face wrinkled in pain, and Teyla stepped back. "How many ribs do wraith have?"

"We have one less than a human," Todd answered from where he was keeping any eye on the whole thing.

"At least one broken rib and possibly more cracked. There could be bleeding as well."

"You had a rough landing didn't you?" John glanced at Todd who sneered at him but didn't answer.

"Do you have something in your kit that will fix it?" Molly asked.

"No."

"Then as I said, there is nothing you can do. So I say we continue. The sooner we can leave here the sooner I can find food." Teyla's face wrinkled in anger and John didn't hide his dislike.

"Hating me won't change what I am. You could easily avoid being prey by simply making peace with the wraith."

"Can every human make peace with the wraith?" Teyla spat.

"I suppose not…" Molly said.

"Shall we continue?" Todd asked from where he stood.

As they dropped down into the large cavern, the stale, damp air of the cave began to be replaced by a foul smell. They traveled a short distance when Todd veered off the tracks heading off to their right.

"I thought we were following the tracks?" John inquired.

"There is a tunnel this way, if we use it we will arrive much faster at the shaft."

"Alright," John muttered. He gave one farewell glance as the tracks were swallowed up by the darkness. He just had to trust Todd knew the route: that wasn't easy. The fact Todd had yet to pull out the map didn't make him feel any less worried, could he have just memorized the route before their encounter?

"What is that?" Molly asked. The smell of rotten eggs clung to the air and it grew stronger with each step. The taste stuck to the top of John's mouth and he already had a good guess as to what might be creating the smell.

"Sulfur," John answered. As he stepped down his foot felt something squish under it, and the light revealed the cave floor had turned a dark yellow.

"Some sort of moss," Teyla informed them. Moving onward the floor became almost completely covered in the yellow moss and the smell of sulfur grew stronger. John had spent enough time outside to know moss made things more slippery, so he took his time and was careful where he put his foot down on the uneven floor. Before he could issue a warning, a cry caused him to look back in time to see Molly land in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

"Careful," John said. Todd took one step forward as if he was going to help her but quickly stopped. Molly rose, but it was clear doing so caused her quite some pain. She stood still for a moment staring out into the darkness.

"What?" Teyla asked peering in the same direction.

"Nothing," she answered. John thought about asking again but decided better of it. After all she would just give him the same answer.

"Hot springs," Teyla declared after they walked another yard. The light danced off a crystal blue surface that had a little steam crawling off it and John wondered if there was any chance the water wasn't acidic. Then of course it would probably be too hot or still not safe to drink from minerals in the water. As they moved on, more and more of the pools popped out of the darkness forcing them to weave their way carefully through them, while looking out for any hidden holes. With so little light it would be easy to step right into a hole filled with scalding water. That wouldn't be pleasant.

"Must we go this way? Perhaps there is a better route," Molly questioned. John thought he heard what might be fear in her voice. Her eyes were rapidly moving over the darkness that surrounded them hinting again at fear.

"No," Todd answered; only then did John see that his hand was resting on his side arm.

"You two got anything you want share with us?" John inquired, his own hand moving to his side arm as he looked around, trying to figure out what had put the two wraiths on guard.

"No, just keep moving," Todd ordered.

"Because if there something we should know…" John demanded, not satisfied by Todd's answer.

"Being quiet is the best thing you could do, Colonel."

"What are you not telling us?" Teyla caught Todd's arm and forced him to stop.

"It is best we continue on," he insisted, not answering her question.

"That is not what I asked."

"They are out there, don't you hear them?" Molly asked.

"Hear what?" Teyla asked as John strained to hear anything unusual but the continued loudness of the river didn't make it easy to hear anything else.

"What's out there? The wraith?" he asked, but Teyla shook her head indicating she didn't sense any close by.

"No," Molly said.

"Todd!" John raised his voice in anger.

"If you speak loudly you might attract them." John's stomach turned, as he came to a conclusion of what they might be talking about. He already had his fears they might not be alone in the cave and he hadn't forgot what he seen back by the station.

"What is out there?" John demanded his voice low but laced with anger.

"Creatures…" Todd answered. "That way." He pointed out into the darkness.

"What kind of creatures?" John asked as he moved closer to Teyla.

"The cave kind," Todd simply answered.

"That's a lot of help," John snorted. "What else do you know that you are not telling us?"

"It changes nothing. If we wish to live we must come this way."

"You need to learn how teams work. Teams tell each other of things, so the team can make a decision," John snapped.

"We should continue," Molly insisted.

"Tell us whatever it is you know about these caves," Teyla demanded, but before Todd could speak up Molly spoke up first.

"He knows nothing; this isn't his clan territory."

"You're from a separate clan?" John asked.

"Yes and this planet has been in my clan territory for many sleep cycles."

"What do you know about these creatures?" John kept his voice low as they weaved their way around a large hot spring.

"There are a few species said to live in the cave. I can hardly know which one it is we are hearing. One of them was dangerous enough that we stopped coming after the humans that hide down here."

"Wonderful," John muttered his eyes darting around. Already he was drawing up horrible monster lurking in dark thanks to Hollywood. Another thought occurred: whatever it was that Todd had taken was important enough that the other wraith were willing to risk crossing path with a creature that had stopped them from hunting humans down here. That could only mean one thing, they'd walked into something big, really big. Question was could they discover what it was, while escaping with their lives?

Finally after what seemed like ages they got their first look at a river cutting its way through the cavern. The river was larger than John expected, probably fed by the rain water and thus moving fast and strong.

Teyla's light glided about the bridge just in front of them revealing the structure. One look was enough to tell John the bridge was in bad shape: discolored, with holes, and other surface damage.

"This is a bad idea," John spoke out loud and Teyla nodded in agreement.

"It will hold." Todd sounded like he was reassuring himself more than anyone else. His eyes remained fixed on the darkness ahead of them.

"Is there another way?" Teyla questioned turning toward Molly. Molly didn't answer as Todd headed up the small stair case and on to the bridge. Even with the noise of the water John could hear the bridge groaning and creaking under his weight.

"Todd," Molly warned her face etched with fear as he continued outward.

"It will be fine." Todd moved slowly around a large hole. "See." He stopped at the edge of Teyla's light.

"Are there no other paths?" John looked at Todd.

"Come," was the only answer Todd gave.

"I have an idea." John added. "Teyla get the glow sticks out." She dug in the back pulling out a few. "Give them to Todd. That way we can spread out." Teyla tossed them to Todd who began the slow process of moving across the bridge. He dropped the glow sticks every few feet. Teyla slowly headed out and John swallowed his fear following her, a good distance behind to help spread their weight. John studied each place he was going to put his foot down. The bridge continued to pop, groan, and creak as they slowly made their way.

"I have reached the other side," Todd boasted from the front. Just barely he saw the stone floor ahead. A very loud pop caused John to freeze, his eyes looking down through the grail floor at the rushing water. None of them moved, holding their breath but nothing happened.

"I think it's ok," Molly said, inching her way toward him, but John's gut said something was wrong. Still he sure as hell couldn't stay in the middle. Teyla took three more steps and this time a cracking emanated from the bridge.

John barely realized when he landed hard on his back as the floor suddenly dropped from under him, a burst of fire exploding from his shoulder. Landing on his back, but he didn't have time to care. His free hand reached out for anything but all he caught was air as he slide forward. Something brought him to a sharp stop. He let out a cry of pain as waves of fire jetted out from his shoulder. Dangling there he could hear the sound of rushing water, somewhere below his feet. It was then he realized someone had managed to catch the back of his shirt.

His eyes race up from the water in search of Teyla. His eyes found her, the light dancing as it hung from Teyla's clip as she clutched another section of the bridge for dear life. John was jerked as the hand clenching the back of his shirt yanked him upward. John for once was happy that wraith were unusually strong. There was no way Teyla or a human would have been able to drag him up using only one hand. Molly dragged him back just enough so that he wasn't going to fall.

"Thanks," he said but quickly sat up his eyes returning to Teyla. Somehow she managed to lace her finger through the grail holes preventing herself from sliding into the water. Her feet were hanging just inches above the water as John rose. The section she was hanging on to was nearly broken from the main bridge. If it rolled over or broke off Teyla would be swept away to a certain death.

"Teyla hold on!" John screamed over the roaring water. Todd had inched his way closer to the edge but Teyla was well over an arm's length from him. There was the added risk his weight could send her section tumbling into the water. Teyla's feet slipped and slid as she tried to find anything to get a grip on. His heart raced as he tried to think of anything to help her.

Teyla let go with one of her hands and reached quickly up. Once she had a good grip she did this with the other hand, shocking him with her sheer strength. Inch by inch she pulled herself up using her feet when she could. Watching was agonizing but he let out his breath as Todd grabbed her arm and easily lifted her to safety.

"You ok?" Teyla asked through heavy breaths.

"Yeah, thank God for adrenaline," John added as Molly rose behind him. His eyes returned to the missing bridge section. There was no way he could jump the gap.

"There has to be another away across." Teyla flashed the light around. Her eyes studied the reaming section of the bridge. Clearly she already remembered the rope but John had already determined there was no way to tie off the rope high enough to let them climb over the water. Not that John was in any condition to do rope climbing.

"Is there another bridge nearby?" Teyla half-asked, half-demanded while looking at Todd.

"No." Todd said.

**Please Review, your comments have been helpful and they help me stay inspired.**


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